SADC Tourism Ministers meet in Madrid

Tourism Ministers from Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Seychelles and Mozambique met this week (23 January 2013) in Madrid, where they were all gathered for FITUR, the Tourism Trade Fair of Spain.

The five Ministers are the ‘working group of six’ appointed by the SADC Tourism Ministers at the Mozambique meeting last year. Minister Sylvia Masebo from Zambia, Minister Walter Mzembi from Zimbabwe, Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk from South Africa, Minister Alain St.Ange from the Seychelles and Minister Carvalho Muaria of Mozambique met at the Intercontinental Hotel Madrid to discuss the restructure RETOSA in a bid to integrate the tourism body back into SADC. Absent was the Minister from Malawi who was unfortunately not in Madrid for FITUR.

Two sub committees were named from the five Ministers to plan the way forward ahead of the 13 February meeting in Cape Town. This meeting will be followed by a Tourism Ministers meeting in Livingstone in Zambia to prepare final restructuring documents ahead of the SADC August Heads of State summit.